The HerUniverse Fashion Show at the Manchester Grand Hyatt during Comic-Con International in San Diego, CA., Thursday, July 20, 2017. (Staff photo by Jennifer Cappuccio Maher/Southern California News Group)

Fan’s Choice winner Grace Johnston’s Don’t Panic, inspired by The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy, during the HerUniverse Fashion Show at the Manchester Grand Hyatt during Comic-Con International in San Diego, CA., Thursday, July 20, 2017. (Staff photo by Jennifer Cappuccio Maher/Southern California News Group)

Judge’s Choice co-winner Orange County’s Lindsay Meesak Orndorff’s Leader of the Pack, inspired by Princess Mononoke, during the HerUniverse Fashion Show at the Manchester Grand Hyatt during Comic-Con International in San Diego, CA., Thursday, July 20, 2017. (Staff photo by Jennifer Cappuccio Maher/Southern California News Group)

The HerUniverse Fashion Show at the Manchester Grand Hyatt during Comic-Con International in San Diego, CA., Thursday, July 20, 2017. (Staff photo by Jennifer Cappuccio Maher/Southern California News Group)

Founder Ashley Eckstein during the HerUniverse Fashion Show at the Manchester Grand Hyatt during Comic-Con International in San Diego, CA., Thursday, July 20, 2017. (Staff photo by Jennifer Cappuccio Maher/Southern California News Group)

The HerUniverse Fashion Show at the Manchester Grand Hyatt during Comic-Con International in San Diego, CA., Thursday, July 20, 2017. (Staff photo by Jennifer Cappuccio Maher/Southern California News Group)

The HerUniverse Fashion Show at the Manchester Grand Hyatt during Comic-Con International in San Diego, CA., Thursday, July 20, 2017. (Staff photo by Jennifer Cappuccio Maher/Southern California News Group)

The HerUniverse Fashion Show at the Manchester Grand Hyatt during Comic-Con International in San Diego, CA., Thursday, July 20, 2017. (Staff photo by Jennifer Cappuccio Maher/Southern California News Group)

The HerUniverse Fashion Show at the Manchester Grand Hyatt during Comic-Con International in San Diego, CA., Thursday, July 20, 2017. (Staff photo by Jennifer Cappuccio Maher/Southern California News Group)

The HerUniverse Fashion Show at the Manchester Grand Hyatt during Comic-Con International in San Diego, CA., Thursday, July 20, 2017. (Staff photo by Jennifer Cappuccio Maher/Southern California News Group)

The HerUniverse Fashion Show at the Manchester Grand Hyatt during Comic-Con International in San Diego, CA., Thursday, July 20, 2017. (Staff photo by Jennifer Cappuccio Maher/Southern California News Group)

The HerUniverse Fashion Show at the Manchester Grand Hyatt during Comic-Con International in San Diego, CA., Thursday, July 20, 2017. (Staff photo by Jennifer Cappuccio Maher/Southern California News Group)

The HerUniverse Fashion Show at the Manchester Grand Hyatt during Comic-Con International in San Diego, CA., Thursday, July 20, 2017. (Staff photo by Jennifer Cappuccio Maher/Southern California News Group)

The HerUniverse Fashion Show at the Manchester Grand Hyatt during Comic-Con International in San Diego, CA., Thursday, July 20, 2017. (Staff photo by Jennifer Cappuccio Maher/Southern California News Group)

The HerUniverse Fashion Show at the Manchester Grand Hyatt during Comic-Con International in San Diego, CA., Thursday, July 20, 2017. (Staff photo by Jennifer Cappuccio Maher/Southern California News Group)

The HerUniverse Fashion Show at the Manchester Grand Hyatt during Comic-Con International in San Diego, CA., Thursday, July 20, 2017. (Staff photo by Jennifer Cappuccio Maher/Southern California News Group)

The HerUniverse Fashion Show at the Manchester Grand Hyatt during Comic-Con International in San Diego, CA., Thursday, July 20, 2017. (Staff photo by Jennifer Cappuccio Maher/Southern California News Group)

The HerUniverse Fashion Show at the Manchester Grand Hyatt during Comic-Con International in San Diego, CA., Thursday, July 20, 2017. (Staff photo by Jennifer Cappuccio Maher/Southern California News Group)

The HerUniverse Fashion Show at the Manchester Grand Hyatt during Comic-Con International in San Diego, CA., Thursday, July 20, 2017. (Staff photo by Jennifer Cappuccio Maher/Southern California News Group)

The HerUniverse Fashion Show at the Manchester Grand Hyatt during Comic-Con International in San Diego, CA., Thursday, July 20, 2017. (Staff photo by Jennifer Cappuccio Maher/Southern California News Group)

The HerUniverse Fashion Show at the Manchester Grand Hyatt during Comic-Con International in San Diego, CA., Thursday, July 20, 2017. (Staff photo by Jennifer Cappuccio Maher/Southern California News Group)

The HerUniverse Fashion Show at the Manchester Grand Hyatt during Comic-Con International in San Diego, CA., Thursday, July 20, 2017. (Staff photo by Jennifer Cappuccio Maher/Southern California News Group)

The HerUniverse Fashion Show at the Manchester Grand Hyatt during Comic-Con International in San Diego, CA., Thursday, July 20, 2017. (Staff photo by Jennifer Cappuccio Maher/Southern California News Group)

The HerUniverse Fashion Show at the Manchester Grand Hyatt during Comic-Con International in San Diego, CA., Thursday, July 20, 2017. (Staff photo by Jennifer Cappuccio Maher/Southern California News Group)

The HerUniverse Fashion Show at the Manchester Grand Hyatt during Comic-Con International in San Diego, CA., Thursday, July 20, 2017. (Staff photo by Jennifer Cappuccio Maher/Southern California News Group)

The HerUniverse Fashion Show at the Manchester Grand Hyatt during Comic-Con International in San Diego, CA., Thursday, July 20, 2017. (Staff photo by Jennifer Cappuccio Maher/Southern California News Group)

The HerUniverse Fashion Show at the Manchester Grand Hyatt during Comic-Con International in San Diego, CA., Thursday, July 20, 2017. (Staff photo by Jennifer Cappuccio Maher/Southern California News Group)

The HerUniverse Fashion Show at the Manchester Grand Hyatt during Comic-Con International in San Diego, CA., Thursday, July 20, 2017. (Staff photo by Jennifer Cappuccio Maher/Southern California News Group)

Her Universe and Hot Topic combined fashion forces Thursday night to make the dreams of three lucky designers come true.

Out of a group of 25 finalists, three designers — two chosen by judges and one by fans in attendance — were picked to be winners of the fourth annual Her Universe Fashion Show during Comic-Con International.

“This is the year that dreams can come true,” Her Universe founder Ashley Eckstein told the crowd of hundreds gathered in the Harbor Ballroom at the Manchester Grand Hyatt Hotel before the show began. “The dreams that you wish can and do come true.”

Eckstein recounted how she grew up in Orlando, Fla. Her dad worked at Disney World and she was inspired by the Disney quote of “If you can dream it, you can do it.”

An emotional Eckstein said that bringing “geek couture” to Comic-Con has made her own dreams come true before announcing that she’s partnering with Disney to write a book that will be published in May 2018.

Keeping with the Disney theme, the winning designers will work in conjunction with Her Universe and Hot Topic to create a new fashion line based on Disney princesses.

Judges’ winners included Rose Ivy of Claremont with her “Sorceress Supreme” design inspired by “Doctor Strange,” and Lindsay Meesak Orndorff of Orange County with her “Leader of the Pack” design inspired by “Princess Mononoke.” Grace Johnston of Chicago, Illinois with her “Don’t Panic” design inspired by “The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy” won the fans’ choice.

Other designs shown during the fashion show were inspired by “Stranger Things,” “Star Wars,” “Guardians of the Galaxy,” “Moana” and more.

“I wanted different silhouettes that were timeless and flattering to the various mannequin sizes we have on display,” Ivy said in the program, “because I believe fashion is for everyone regardless of body type or size.”

Last year’s fashion show winners — Hannah Lee-Kent, Jesse Thaxton and Camille Falciola — were on-hand as judges to help pick the the 2017 winners. The three helped create a Wonder Woman collection, which included some of the all-time, best-selling items in Hot Topics history, according to fellow judge Cindy Levitt, who is the senior vice president of merchandise and marketing at Hot Topic.

Levitt called the Wonder Woman collaboration a multi-million dollar collection as she talked about how serious the grand prize actually was.

“I’ve never found anything I love quite as much as sitting down in front of a sewing machine and making something extraordinary,” Johnston said in the program.

Sarah Batcha is the social media director for Southern California News Group who has been working as a journalist since 2007. During that time, she has primarily worked as a digital or social media editor, but has also been an editor of and covered breaking and community news, as well as travel features, music reviews and international events such as Coachella and San Diego Comic-Con.

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